


Ain't Too Proud to Beg

by messofthejess



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: F/M, First Love, First Signs of Love, Partnership, in which Stein sets aside his general weenie-ness and actually asks for what he wants for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 02:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8647840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messofthejess/pseuds/messofthejess
Summary: Stein hasn't been certain of much since the fallout with Spirit, but he's very clear on one thing: Marie Mjolnir MUST be his new partner.
Takes place immediately after DollyPop's "Live Wire."





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Live Wire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6989281) by [DollyPop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DollyPop/pseuds/DollyPop). 



> I realized after writing that this could fit into the same storyline as "Letters and Landlines," with this story taking place before Marie and Stein go on summer break. Cool, huh?

            He held on perhaps a little longer than necessary after they were done sparring. Truthfully, Stein had almost forgotten Marie was in his hand—she weighed practically nothing, he didn’t see why Kami had been struggling for so long to keep a grip on her. It was only when he caught the flash of her transformation out of the corner of his eye that he realized, and he found himself holding her hand while the rest of their classmates were dusting themselves off and leaving the courtyard. Kami tossed him one last snarl, her arm thrown over Spirit’s shoulders; he didn’t even bother dignifying her with an eye roll this time.

            “Um…thank you.”

            “Huh?” he says, turning next to him.

            “Thank you,” Marie repeats, her single amber eye shining. “For being my partner. I know I probably wasn’t your first choice—”

            “We didn’t really _have_ a choice.” That wasn’t the right thing to say, because the pink across her cheeks burned even brighter. Words, Stein, words _._ Learn to use them.

            “Y-yeah, I know. But thanks all the same.”  

            “You’re welcome.” That feels closer to being right, but something’s missing beyond the electricity that hummed under his fingertips just moments ago. “Same thing next month?”

            The look she gives him shoots right through to his toes. Horrible as it sounds, it’s good that Marie only has one eye to look at him with. Two eyes that intense would be overwhelming, and he was normally the person whose gaze made others turn away. His tongue feels too thick. His heart kicks into overdrive from an adrenaline rush, though he can’t pinpoint why he’s feeling it now and not when in the heat of battle. Perhaps he suffered from a delayed adrenaline response. Something to test later.

            “Yes!” she squeaks out, probably not intending to sound adorable. “I mean, yes. Yes, of course. Next month, sparring, partners again. That would be…lovely.”

           Stein’s not used to being called _lovely_. In fact, he’s pretty sure his own mother has never directed that particular adjective toward him in his whole life, and Golda Stein is quite keen on her superlatives. Is it anatomically possible for one’s ears to burn off of one’s skull?

          “See you later,” he mumbles and turns away from Marie, his hands thrust into his pockets. Not the most graceful exit he’s ever made from a conversation, but it works. He sees her wave over his shoulder, and he is so, so tempted to return the gesture in spite of never having waved to anyone ever, but he curls his fists in his pockets, swallowing hard.

         He needs to get to Lord Death. He needs to talk to him while the electricity has burned his mind clear of any distractions and he can finally, finally think straight for the first time in what feels like an eternity.

***

        The Death God is surprised to see him traipse in under the guillotines. Usually his weekly check-ins are on Friday mornings, an effort to keep him on a short leash since Spirit is no longer an option. Stein is aware he’s on thin ice with the Academy, but they can’t afford to let him loose on the world. Not while he’s unstable like he is. He doesn’t know if Lord Death is going to buy his story that Marie Mjolnir has made him feel the calmest, the most even-keeled he’s felt in a while. It’s worth a try, though.

       “Stein!” Lord Death says, rising from his seat behind a low-slung tea table. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

      “I wasn’t expecting to be here, Lord Death.”

      “Well, what brings you?”

       In through the nostrils, out through the mouth. Respiration is easy if he focuses on it. His heart threatening to pound its way out of his ribcage is a different story altogether. Why was he so nervous?

       “I know I’m not in much of a position to make requests,” Stein begins, “considering my standing at the Academy is currently shaky at best. But I’ve found someone that I want to be my new partner.”

       “Oh?” If Lord Death removed his mask, Stein is sure he’d see a raised eyebrow or two aimed at him. “And who might that be?”

       “Marie Mjolnir.”

        Lord Death tilts his head in a wordless question, and Stein takes that as an invitation to continue.

        “We were partnered today in Miss Morningstar’s class for sparring—just came from there—because she is without a meister and I’m without a weapon,” he explains. “We’ve fought each other before, but obviously with different partners. I asked her to transform, which she did, and she landed in my palm. Marie is rather lightweight, Lord Death. I fail to understand why her previous partners struggled to hold her.”

         He decides to leave out the part where she was about to haul off and punch him the face because he was staring at her chest. If pressed, he would say he was using Soul Perception to get a read on whether she’d shock him at first contact. If pressed a little further, though, he’d admit that his staring wasn’t purely for soul-studying purposes. Marie Mjolnir was one of the most well-endowed students in their class, if not _the_ most. So shame him for looking.

         “In any case, when she transformed…Lord Death, I know you’ll find this difficult to believe, but it’s the best I’ve felt in a long time. The madness melted away. I could think clearly, and I was so at ease. Everything clicked into place.”

        Lord Death’s head isn’t tilted anymore. In fact, he’s nodding along to Stein as if the boy has just presented him with a missing puzzle piece. Behind the mask, he’s grinning like a fool.

        “I know she’s one of the most incompatible souls the DWMA has seen in years. She’s soul-rejected countless other would-be meisters. The very nature of her soul gave Joe Buttataki third-degree burns on a mission and rendered him out of commission. Even Kami Yamamoto had her troubles wielding Marie,” Stein says. “But you said it yourself: I’m a Genius Meister. I could handle any weapon, any time.”

        “This is true,” Lord Death raises a finger, “but—”

        “I’m not one to beg, Lord Death, but I am one to say please. So please. Please let Marie Mjolnir be my partner.”

         There is a long stretch of silence where boy and god simply stare at each other. Lord Death puts his finger down, shuffles under his cloak. Stein doesn’t fidget, but stays right where he is, his gaze unwavering. He hopes his lord understands. Surely something will be said about Marie’s opinion on all this needs to be taken into account, and that’s fine, all fine. He’s stuck his neck out, something he’s not willing to do most of the time, not even in battle. He’s the boy to work smarter, not harder. But he needed to make a stand on this. The hum in his bones has all but died away now; the memory of wielding her, on the other hand, has not. Maybe she burned him after all, seared her way into his mind.

         “I’ll need some time to consider this,” Lord Death says, his giant foam hands clapped together in front of what would be his mouth. Of course. Stein expected no more of an answer than that. He takes that as his cue to leave, bowing curtly before making his way back through the guillotines again.

***

         A week passes before he sees her again. He’d gone to the training forest to sit, the lab becoming too stifling for him. Besides, the forest was, to use Marie’s word, lovely. Late spring meant most of the trees had leafed out, and the faint smell of lilac wafted through the branches. He is just about to doze off against the rough bark of a maple when he hears the distinct sound of snapping twigs under someone’s feet.

        “ _There_ you are!” Marie cries. “I’ve been looking for you for an hour!”

         Something stirs low in Stein’s belly, because the thought of someone actively seeking him out is already an odd one, but Marie looking for him sparks up some rather wild ideas that he thought he’d shoved way back in his mind. His fingers twitch for a cigarette and lighter, eager for something to occupy them.

         “You have?” he replies as nonchalantly as he can.

         “Yes! Lord Death wants to see us both right now! Well not _now_ now, but now as in an hour ago now, so you need to get up off your butt and come with me!”

          Well, he certainly doesn’t need to be told twice. Before he completely gets his feet under him, she’s tugging him along by one hand, breaking into a full run across the grass. He never runs, but he obliges her, clunky shoes clomping after her white heeled boots. The current starts running through his hand again, the warmth leeching into his blood. Has everyone that’s ever so much as brushed against Marie in the hallway felt this? Something possessive looms near his heart, and he crushes that thought out of his mind. No. No one else has felt this except him.

         They’re both out of breath by the time they get to the Death Room, Marie on the verge of giggles out of sheer nerves. Lord Death bounces in front of them both, excited.

         “I have to tell you two, I didn’t think I’d come up with a solution to our little dilemma,” he says, coming to a standstill after another moment or two. “But I’ve decided to make the two of you partners!”

         “W-what?” Marie stammers out, and Stein’s heart sinks. He was stupid to think she’d go along with all of this without a fight.

         “Miss Morningstar told me about your sparring exercise last week. She was more than impressed: she said the two of you resonated with an ease she hasn’t seen in pairs that are about to graduate. Stein even managed to generate a sort of lightning attack by channeling both his wavelength and yours,” Lord Death nods at Marie. “All of this is true, right?”

         “Yes,” Marie and Stein reply at the same time, then blink at each other.

         “Wonderful! I know it will take some time for the two of you to adjust—you don’t have to move in together just yet, and we’ll have to set up some, ahem, precautionary ground rules of course, given the circumstances…”

          The rest of what Lord Death says falls on deaf ears, at least on Stein’s end. He’s more concerned with how Marie is practically vibrating next to him, her eye gleaming. She looks…excited? She must be excited. Her wavelength is so keyed up it’s making him dizzy.

         “I’ll bring over some of my things tonight,” she whispers, squeezing his hand.

          Yes, that’s all right. That’s more than all right with him. One day, he’s going to need to thank Lord Death for not revealing the details of his little meeting with him. No one else, especially not Marie, needs to know he’s a beggar.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership.


End file.
